Instruments of the violin-family include, for example, violins, violas, and the like. Such instruments are maintained in a proper playing position by: 1) holding the body of the instrument upon the musician's shoulder/collar bone area at the base of the musician's neck; 2) using the musician's support hand to support the neck of the instrument in a manner that allows the fingers of the support hand to access the fingerboard of the instrument; and 3) using a “bowing hand” to hold a separate bow, which produces sounds when stroked across the strings of the instrument.
Holding the instrument in the proper position at its body and neck can present many challenges for the musician. In some instances, the body of the instrument is equipped with a chinrest on its upper surface. When the instrument is resting upon the shoulder/collar bone, the chin is placed upon the chinrest to help secure the body of the instrument in its proper position. However, the back of the instrument often has a contoured surface, which may not sufficiently stabilize the instrument on its own, thereby allowing the body of the instrument to shift during play.
The neck end of the instrument is held by the musician's supporting hand. To this end, the musician forms a V-shaped region between the thumb and knuckle of the index finger. However, the musician does not engage the rear portion of the neck at the bottom of the V-shaped region. Nor does the musician engage the rear portion of the neck with a hand collapsed in such a way as to have the neck supported by the palm of the hand. Rather, the neck of the instrument is supported so that it rests upon the thumb of the support hand to allow the musician to allow the four fingers of the support hand to reach the strings at various positions so as to play the desired notes.
There are several issues with holding the neck of the instrument in this manner. For example, both the thumb and the neck of the instrument are rounded surfaces thereby making it difficult to maintain the thumb at its proper position. Further, the neck of the instrument is typically smooth, and friction between the rear portion of the neck and the support hand may make it difficult to keep them engaged as gravity pulls the neck down off of the thumb toward the bottom of the V-shaped region. These issues are intensified as the hand moves about to finger the notes while playing the instrument. If the support hand becomes too tense in these tasks, it loses a degree of dexterity and freedom of movement in fingering the notes and adding vibrato.
Further, it is desirable that the shoulder of the musician's supporting hand side remain relaxed during play. Otherwise, the musician will experience tension, discomfort, and perhaps fatigue and injury as the instrument is played. This problem may become acute when the instrument is played for extended periods of time, such as during concerts, extended practice sessions, etc.
One device that is used to provide additional support for the instrument and reduce the load upon the support hand is known as a “shoulder rest.” This device clamps to the underside of the body of the instrument. The shoulder rest is attached at some distance away from the end of the body of the instrument and rests upon the musician's shoulder to provide upward support. At this position, the shoulder rest becomes somewhat of a fulcrum. The musician's chin is placed upon the chinrest, which provides downward pressure to anchor the instrument in place. By way of the shoulder rest fulcrum, this arrangement reduces the load needed by the support hand to elevate the neck end of the instrument.
However, the issue with a “shoulder rest” is that, as mentioned above, the instrument is often played for extended periods of time, and the weight of the instrument is now partially supported by the clamping action of the chin/neck of the musician, which for many may cause discomfort and tension in the neck. Many musicians also feel that the addition of a shoulder rest that clamps to the back of the violin/viola may impede the free vibration of the instrument due to said clamping action, which may have an effect on the tone of the instrument. Shoulder rests also are known to fall off of the instrument, sometimes during a performance.